


stolen seconds and missing moments

by whatledtothis



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-01-20 23:58:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12444831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatledtothis/pseuds/whatledtothis
Summary: On Mikey’s thirteenth birthday, instead of cake and presents, he’s told his dad is leaving and starting a new life in Canada. It took his family a year to get over the haunting emptiness of the house, and they soon decide they need to start again somewhere else if they want anything to seem okay again. On his fourteenth birthday, he’s in a new, smaller house in Newark, New Jersey. He’s hours away from friends, family, and most importantly, the feeling of safety, though Mikey knows it's been years since he's had safety and stability in his life. To top off, he starts high school on September 5th. Mikey's world has just been turned upside down, and now he's got to try and fix it, made even more 'fun' by classes, homework, a social life, and crushes. Oh, the joys of adolescence.





	1. give me all you got, I can take it

**Author's Note:**

> Title song: Burn Bright by My Chemical Romance  
> Hello everyone! Welcome to my second fic! This one will definitely get picked back up once I finish writing home is in your arms (and if you haven't read it, please go do so. I'm extremely proud of it lol #shamelessselfpromo) As with most of my creative ideas, the idea for this fic came to me while I was eating cereal and laying awake at 2 am last week (man, I really wish that was a joke). Anyway, hope you guys enjoy! As always, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Love you guys <3

Mikey stood outside of the house he'd grown up in. Leaving was hard, remembering all the amazing (and equally horrible) moments that had taken place in that house. It felt like only yesterday him and his older brother had been chasing each other around the back yard with sticks as weapons, trying to convince their father to play with them, then later falling to the ground and laughing 'till their stomachs ached. 

Now Mikey was standing on the pavement, staring at the grey bricks that housed all the hate and memories of his father. Donald. He felt sick even thinking the word. "Mikey," He was snapped from his trance as Gerard, his older brother, elbowed him in the shoulder and passed him a brown box with tape practically holding it together. "Take this to the car for Mom, okay? Get ready to leave, too. We'll be going in about twenty minutes." Mikey nodded and took the box, looking at the barely legible writing that Gerard'd scribbled on at the last minute. Kitchen. 

Flipping through songs on his phone, Mikey settled for a newer song by Eden and settled back in his seat, preparing for a long-ass car ride to their new house in Newark, New Jersey. About an hour into the drive, Mikey's leg was nudged, shaking him from his thoughts and bringing him back to reality. Gerard was motioning for Mikey to pass him his bag, which was sitting on the floor beside him.

Mikey grabbed it and handed it to his brother, smiling. Gerard smiled tiredly back, and at that moment Mikey realized that his brother had practically taken on the 'father role' in their family. He figured that it must be hard to keep Mikey in line, keep his mother sane, and keep his grades above average all at the same time. Gerard really was the glue that held the three together almost everyday. Without him working part-time jobs whenever he could, they probably wouldn’t have been able to afford this move. 

He settled back into the leather seats that now felt confining and uncomfortable, and gazed out the window, watching the streets of his familiar town fade into highways and then into farmland. Mikey sighed as he glanced at the clock. 2:43 pm it read. 'Only 14 more hours of driving. Hooray.' He thought sarcastically, stifling a yawn. This was going to be a long trip.

-

Mikey awoke with a dreadful feeling in his stomach. More like a lump of coal than the excited butterflies he knew he should be feeling. He turned on his phone and smiled. 7:52, September 10. Mikey smiled, shrugging off the feeling and pulling on some jeans and a sweatshirt. It was his birthday, he shouldn't be worried about anything, right?

After brushing his teeth and combing his hair, Mikey walked down the creaking stairs into the hauntingly silent living room. After a moment of silence, a noise from the kitchen broke it. Crying? He wandered down the hall and into the kitchen, shivering as his bare feet touched the cold tiles. He saw his brother holding his mother in his arms, quieting her sobs while he attempted to hold back tears of his own. Mikey took a step forward, "Mom?" He asked, but it came out more a whisper than anything. Gerard looked up and gave Mikey a look of pity, before letting go of their mother and reaching out, beckoning for Mikey to come to them.

"What's going on, Gee?" Mikey asked, hugging the older boy. Mikey recalls how proud he was when he realized that he was almost as tall as his brother, even though Gerard was three years older than him. Gerard and their mother exchanged a glance, then the boys' mother handed Mikey a handwritten note on a lined piece of paper, obviously ripped from a notebook. Gerard's heart shattered as he watched his baby brother's face change from confusion to shock to sadness. 

How could a father leave his wife and sons, especially on his youngest's thirteenth birthday? Tears threatened to spill from Mikey's eyes, but he held them in as he handed the note back to his mother. He decided then and there that he would be more of a man than his father ever was. No matter what.

-

"Micheal," His eyes fluttered open as he felt his mother shaking his shoulder, attempting to wake him from his nap. "C'mon. We've got a motel room." Mikey shrugged off the weight of his dream- no, memory- and wiped sleep from his eyes, emerging from the vehicle into the dimly lit parking lot of a cheap motel. What time was it? Apparently, Mom had already booked a motel room for that night and had already collected they key, so the trio locked their car and entered a small, stained room with two beds and a tiny T.V from the dinosaur age, complimented by a dirty, stained bathroom and a kitchenette with mold in the freezer and plugs that didn’t work.

Their mother collapsed into one of the beds and was asleep almost immediately, so Gerard tucked her in. After that, he turned on the one of three lamps that worked and shut off the main light so their mother could sleep. Mikey kicked off his jeans and changed into a sweatshirt and a clean pair of boxers, while his brother wore some Star Wars pyjama pants and an old Misfits shirt. They both plugged in their phones and climbed under the covers and after some time, then Gerard shut off the light once they were both comfortably in the bed. 

Mikey didn't want to admit it, but he really wanted to cuddle with his brother. Something about the thought of warmth and safety made the gross motel room seemed just slightly less stained and.. crusty.. Him and Gerard had been extremely close as kids- and still were for teenage brothers- but they hadn't slept in the same bed for years now, and he didn't want to be punched by his brother, so he didn't try to engage in any physical contact.

As if Gerard could read his mind, though, the older boy wrapped his arms around his baby brothers' waist and rested his chin in the crook of his neck. "I love you, Mikes." Gerard whispered, his breath tickling Mikey's neck. Mikey smiled in the darkness and pressed into his brother's warmth as much as he could. "Love you too, Gee."

-

Bright lights shone through his eyelids as Mikey squinted and buried his face in the yellow-stained once-white pillowcase which was around three sizes too small for the obnoxiously large pillow inside of it. "C'mon Mikes, Mom packed our suitcases back up for us and laid out your clothes. We're leaving in fifteen." Mikey opened one eye to see a sleepy-eyed Gerard standing over him. After making some incoherent noises, Mikey screeched as his brother tackled him and rolled him over in the sheets.

"Gerard!" Mikey whined, flailing his limbs in an attempt to fight off his attacker who had him held down under a cocoon of blankets. The pair heard laughter coming from the ensuite, which had a broken sink and a suspicious shower that looked straight out of a horror movie. The boys sat up and watched as their mother laughed at them while straightening her dark, wavy hair. Neither of them had heard their mother laugh in years, so they cherished this moment. 

Mikey shoved his brother off and gave him a joking punch in the arm, then stood and grabbed his glasses off the nightstand. After rubbing his eyes and putting his glasses on, Mikey opened his eyes to see Gerard sticking out his tongue at him. Mikey rolled his eyes and pulled on the sweatshirt and jeans his mother'd laid out for him. After getting dressed, the boys sat on the edge of their bed, both on their phones. Gerard was texting a friend from their old town and Mikey was playing solitaire.

Their mother came out of the bathroom and began to pack her bag again. They walked to the car, and Mikey and Gerard sat inside while their mom went into the office to check out. Mikey put in his earbuds again, listening to his music on shuffle and scrolling until he found a good song. He stopped at something old by Hollywood Undead and leaned back in his seat, stretching out his legs and putting up his hood. Their mom came back a few moments later, and they drove off a minute later, stopping 20 minutes later to get a takeout breakfast.

-

The three arrived at their new house at around three that day. Gerard and their mom carried in boxes, while Mikey just kind of stood uncomfortably in the middle of the driveway, hands in his pockets and one earbud in. This was such a surreal experience for him that Mikey figured he could pinch himself and wake up from it. But he couldn’t. He’d tried. He couldn’t wake up, and he couldn’t leave, and he wanted his friends and he wanted safety, but now he was in this new strange place and he couldn’t understand why he was having such high anxiety, and he was scared- no, nervous and shitting bricks- but not scared, and he just wanted to go home, to wake up and see his dad hadn’t left and to go back to the way things were, an- “Hey there.” Mikey jumped and turned as someone touched his shoulder.

Behind him, stood an attractive, but slightly short, boy with eyeliner and emo fringe. “Sorry I scared you,” the boy started, laughing a bit at Mikey’s response. “No problem. Sorry, I was just lost in thought.” Mikey shrugged and pulled out the earbud, then forced his hands and earbuds into his pockets along with his phone. The boy smiled and held out a hand, as if to offer a truce. “Nice to meet you. I’ve been excited for the new folks to move in here, and I’m assuming that’s you guys?” 

Mikey nodded and shook his hand “Yeah, it’s my mom, my older brother, and I. I’m Mikey.” The boy smiled and nodded, pulling his hand back after realizing that they were just holding hands for over thirty seconds, just staring at each other. Mikey turned abruptly as he heard his name. Gerard was waving at him from the front door, calling him inside. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later?” The boy nodded and smiled, then Mikey started to walk away, but turned after a moment and tilted his head to the side a bit “I never got your name.” The boy awkwardly kicked at a stone on the ground, then looked up and smirked “Pete. Pete Wentz.” 

Still smiling awkwardly, Mikey made his way up to his brother. “Who was that?” Gerard asked as they walked into the house, kicking off their shoes and shutting and locking the door behind them. Gerard and Mom had already brought in all the boxes, making Mikey feel a twinge of guilt in his gut. He shrugged and took off his jacket, “Some dude that lives in the neighbourhood. Said his name was Pete.” Gerard stopped asking about Pete after giving him a hesitant nod, and then the brothers made their way into the lounge to help their mother unpack a bit. 

-

Mikey laid on his freshly made bed in his new bedroom that needed painting. He was staring at the ceiling and thinking over the past few days. Mikey decided that he sort of liked the atmosphere in Newark, and that the people here seemed okay. He was worried about school, though. He’d been bullied a lot at his old school, so he hoped that a fresh start would mark a new chapter in his life. 

Mikey’s thoughts then drifted to Pete. Pete Wentz, the obvious owner of a flat iron and far too much money to waste at Hot Topic. He seemed nice. And cute. No- definitely not cute. Mikey wasn’t gay. ‘Even so..’ his mind ran wild with ideas, but he quickly shut that down, deciding that some YouTube before bed was a better option. Not today, gay thoughts. Not to-fucking-day.


	2. praying to a god (who won't talk back)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Praying To A God by Nico & Vinz
> 
> Shit its been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry I've been away, exams season has been hell and its still not over (and next semester is a whole load of bullshit, so I may or may not die lmao). I left half of this a few months ago, an I d I decided to pick it back up. It might be a while before I can post again, so please be patient with me. Regardless, thank you for reading. I love you all so much and thank you to those who have been here for me from the beginning, you will all have a special place in my heart <3 I hope you all enjoy this chapter xo

Mikey woke up to his alarm sounding and rolled over, hissing at the sudden brightness of the light streaming in through the curtainless windows and reflecting on the patchy, unpainted, white walls of the room. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, dramatically pushing hair out of his face, then grabbed his phone and shut off the alarm. September 5th. Mikey groaned and rolled his eyes, falling back onto his messy bed. Today was Mikey’s first day of year nine. In a new town. ‘Oh, joy.’ He thought as he heard a banging on his door. “Breakfast’s on the table, Mikes!” Gerard called. Mikey laid there and listened to the sounds of his brother’s socked feet walking down the hallway and down the stairs before getting up and putting on sweatpants, then stumbling downstairs after him. 

Gerard was already finished his eggs and toast by the time Mikey got downstairs. He sat and poked at his food uninterestedly. Gerard sighed from where he was standing beside the sink, setting his dishes inside to wash later. "Eat, Mikey. You know you'll get anxious and eating will help with that." Mikey shrugged off his words but took a mouthful of egg, chewed, then washed it down with some water. Gerard shook his head at his brother and walked upstairs again, leaving Mikey to throw out the rest of his food. 

As Mikey was going to walk back upstairs as well, He passed the lounge, where his mother was sitting silently, watching him. He looked over at her and gave her a small smile, "Hey Ma." She stood and walked over to him, a slight limp in her step, as she had hip problems from a childhood injury. Wordlessly, she hugged her boy, who happened to be slightly taller than her at this point, and kissed his cheek. "Be safe today, Mikey." She whispered as she pulled back and kissed his forehead. "Don't worry about me Ma, i'll be okay." Seeing the worry and sadness in her eyes, he put his hand over hers resting on his cheek, "I promise."

-

 

Gerard and Mikey walked to school in silence. Silences with Gerard weren't normally awkward, but comfortable. This time, however, Mikey could tell that Gerard was milling over things inside his head. Usually these thoughts would come to Gerard in the middle of the night when he thought that nobody would notice him awake and writing inside an old notebook he kept in his shirt drawer, under all his clothes so nobody would find it, but Mikey always noticed. Mikey was always thinking at that time, too. Once they got onto school property, Gerard turned to his brother. "Do you know where your locker is?" Mikey nodded and Gerard looked around "We'll meet here at the end of the day, okay? You can tell me how things went." Mikey agreed and awkwardly hugged his brother, who stiffened before hugging back "Love you, Mikes." Gerard whispered. "Good luck." Mikey whispered back, before pulling away and walking into the school.

People were gathered around lockers, obviously friends catching up after the break. Mikey wondered if he would ever have friends, then he decided he didn't really want them. He wanted to go back home. Back to his old friends. Not here in some huge-ass school filled with snobby, rich city kids and their cliques. Mikey found his locker that he'd put a lock on when the principal had given him and Gerard a tour of the school during the break. He put his books in his locker and took out the book he needed for first period. English. As Mikey was putting in one earbud and putting the last of his things in his locker, he got bumped by someone.

"Sorry!" A voice said from beside him. Mikey looked up to see a chubby boy, slightly shorter than Mikey, with glasses and a fedora. Mikey shrugged, "No problem." The boy opened his locker, right beside Mikey's, and began putting things into it. Mikey stood at his locker with it open for a moment more, and scrolled through his songs to find one he wanted to listen to. "Hey, Pat!" Someone called from down the hall, causing Mikey, and the boy beside him. to jump. The boy beside him smiled and shook his head, turning back to his locker and continuing to shove things in. Looking down the hall, Mikey saw the guy he'd met on his first day in town. Pete. 

Pete speed walked over to the boy beside Mikey, and wrapped his arms around the boys waist from behind, picking him up and shuffling him around, only to hug him again. The boy hugged back and they were a tangled mess for a solid thirty seconds, before Pete looked over to Mikey, who was staring at them. "Hey, you." Pete smiled, making eye contact with Mikey and pulling out of the hug a moment later. Pete stepped towards Mikey and Mikey smiled awkwardly, "Hey." Pete chuckled, then turned to the boy and said "Pat, this is Mikey," He motioned towards Mikey, then back to 'Pat', "Mikey, this is Patrick." Mikey nodded and muttered an awkward "Nice to meet you," which got a chuckle from Patrick in response.

"Nice to meet you too, Mikey. Are you new?" Patrick asked. "Yeah, My mom, brother, and I moved here over the summer." Mikey stuffed his phone in his pocket and shut and locked his locker, then turned back to the boys. "That's cool. Newark isn't half bad, i'd say." Patrick smiled. "I guess," Mikey smiled back. As he turned to walk away, Pete stopped him. "Would you like to have lunch with us?" Mikey turned back to them, "Uhh, sure." Mikey agreed. "I'll text you, I guess. What's your number?" Pete and Mikey pulled out their phones and Mikey gave the boy his number. "Okay, see you at lunch, Mikey." Pete smiled. "Bye," Mikey smiled back and walked down the hall, away from the two boys who had become his.. Friends?

-

In the middle of second period, Mikey got a text from an unknown number.

Unknown // 11:13 // "Once the bell rings, come to the 200 stairwell. We'll all be there. Everyone's excited to meet you." 

Mikey smiled, knowing it was Pete. He added the number to his contacts and finished his work, staring at the clock the entire time, counting the seconds until 11:40. 

-

Mikey took a detour to his locker, as it was right on the way to the 200 hall. After grabbing his book for his next class, he locked his locker and went to 200. As he walked up the stairs, he saw a group of around ten boys all sitting in the hall by the stairwell. Mikey saw Pete and Pete made eye contact with him after a moment. He shuffled over and made space for Mikey, motioning for him to sit beside him. After he was settled, a thin boy with dark hair and a baby face asked Pete if he was going to introduce them to his boyfriend. Pete flipped him off and rolled his eyes. "Everyone, this is Mikey." There were some 'Hello's', but most of them just smiled at him. 

The boy who had initially started the conversation smiled at Mikey "I'm Ryan." Mikey nodded and everyone began introducing themselves. There was a really ripped guy with short hair that introduced himself as Andy, a boy with poofy black hair who said his name was Joe, another boy with a dark brown afro and glasses who called himself Ray, Patrick, who he'd met earlier, a chubby boy with facial hair who was named Spencer, and a grungey boy with dyed black hair and a lip piercing who smiled and told him his name was Frank. Mikey decided that they all seemed nice.

About fifteen minutes into lunch, Mikey got a call from his brother. "Hello?" He answered. "Where are you?" Gerard asked, sounding rushed. "200 stairwell.." Mikey said questioningly. Gerard just said he would be there in a second and hung up. "Who was that?" Pete asked. "My brother. I think he's coming over here." Mikey shrugged.

-

After hanging up the phone, Gerard shoved it deep into his pocket and wandered over to 200 hall, hoping Mikey was okay. He knew he'd told his brother to meet him after school, but he was far too worried about him to leave it for another three hours. Walking up the stairs that led to the top of 200, Gerard spotted his brother and smiled. Mikey made eye contact with him and Gerard called "You good, kiddo?" Mikey stood and nodded, walking over to him and hugging him. The brothers hugged, and while Gerard was looking around at the faces of the boys with Mikey, he made eye contact with a pale boy who would one day change his life. A heart attack in black hair dye. His face was perfect and his hair was amazing. He was grunge and punk, but adorable at the same time. Even after letting go of Mikey, Gerard continued staring at the boy, and the boy continued staring at him. "Hi.." Gerard was lost for words, but managed to stutter out something intelligible. "Hey." The boy smiled, which caused Gerard to smile back. 

"Do you mind if I sit?" Gerard turned back to Mikey, who nodded. Looking for a place to sit, the boy with black hair immediately made room for him. Gerard smiled and sat down beside him. Everyone introduced themselves, as they had done for Mikey, and Mikey said that Gerard was his brother and two years older. The boy with black hair turned to Gerard  
and smiled. "I'm Frank, it's nice to meet you, Gerard." Gerard smiled back. "It's nice to meet you, too."


	3. i don’t know how to forget you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: sex by eden
> 
> I’m sorry this is so short guys, there’s been a lot on my plate recently and I have three tests tomorrow (and they each count for about 10% of my mark in each of my classes so I’m shitting myself)   
> But anyway, this was a lot of fun to write, based loosely on my own experiences but also fictional.  
> I hope you are all doing okay, I miss you all a lot!! Sending love to each and every one of you xoxo  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Stay alive, babes <3<3 xoxo

Mikey and Gerard were invited to hang out with Pete, Patrick, Frank, Brendon, and Dallon after school, which the pair graciously agreed to, excited at the prospect of new friends. Gerard and Mikey went to their third period classes, then their fourth periods, and when the bell rang, the group met up at Pete’s locker. Gerard smiled when he locked eyes with Frank, the boy smiling back, saying “Hey,” with a small wink. That was enough to send Gerard’s brain into overdrive and his heart soaring. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he knew he was falling for Frank.

The group left the school and walked the 20 minute trek to Patrick’s place. Once they got inside, Patrick and Pete led the rest of the boys into the living room, turning on Netflix and turning it on low volume so everyone could talk. Gerard sat on the love seat directly across the room from the tv and he jumped a bit when he felt weight on the cushion beside him. He looked over and smiled as he saw Frank, light from the television reflecting off his silver lip ring and tunnels in his ears. “Hey Gerard.” Gerard smiled, “Hey”

After talking for a while, Frank started to get visibly anxious. “You good?” Gerard asked him, concerned that he’d done something wrong. “Yeah I just..” Frank wiped his hands on his pants, leaving sweaty palm-prints on his black jeans, “Yeah. I am. Thanks.” He took a deep breath and decided he needed to smoke. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay? I’m gonna have a smoke.” Gerard nodded and Frank pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his pocket, making his way past the group and out into the hall. Gerard watched as Frank stepped into his shoes and pulled the backs around his heels, opening and closing the door. 

Frank sat on the edge of the porch and flicked his lighter, lighting the tip of his cigarette and inhaling the smoke. He was watching the smoke billow out of his mouth into the warm afternoon air when he heard the door close and someone sit beside him. Without looking over, he pulled another cigarette out of the pack and passed it over to the person beside him. When they took it, he flicked the lighter and turned to see Gerard sitting beside him, dart hanging out of his mouth with a smirk plastered on his face. “Well you’re definitely not Pete.” Frank laughed to himself, lighting Gerard’s smoke, expecting his smoking buddy, but liking this option much better.

“Gerard?” Frank asked tentatively. Gerard hummed questioningly, taking a drag on his cigarette. “I think there’s something you should know,” he began, “So, you know how I’m a guy, right?” Gerard looked at him and furrowed his brows for a moment before nodding to him to continue. “Well, I’ve not always been..” Frank couldn’t exactly find the words, so he anxiously took a drag. “I was born a girl, and I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that I’m trans but I don’t want you to hate me and-” Gerard put a hand on the boy’s leg reassuringly. “Frank it doesn’t matter. I’m fine with that.”

“Really?” Frank sighed in relief. Gerard nodded and smiled, then questioned, “Why would you think that mattered to me?” “I don’t know, I’ve just lost some friends because of it before. Pete and Patrick are the only others who know. I grew up with them.” Gerard smiled at that. “Thank you for telling me, then.” Frank smiled back, “Thank you for being so chill, man.” Gerard shrugged, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m.. Gay.” It felt as though a weight had been lifted off him, as this was the first time he’d come out to anyone. Frank smiled and pulled the other boy in for a hug, then, as Frank’s mouth was right beside Gerard’s ear, he whispered, “So am I.”

-

Mikey sat on the couch with Pete sitting on the other side of it. Mikey couldn’t help but stare at the extremely hot boy sitting next to him, and he felt fireworks go off inside his chest as Pete moved, brushing their legs together. Mikey leaned a bit over to Pete’s side, and Pete leaned back into him, resting a hand on Mikey’s thigh. Mikey’s breath hitched in his throat and he looked over at Pete, who was already looking at him. 

They looked at each other for what felt like years, and eventually looked away, but Pete’s hand remained on Mikey’s thigh for the next 5 minutes, but he moved it away once Gerard and Frank came back from their smoke break, not wanting Gerard to freak out at him for touching his little brother or anything. Mikey longed for Pete’s touch the rest of the night, and as he and Gerard got a drive home, Pete’s hot breath, pale skin, and brown eyes were all he could think about. 

As Mikey laid down to sleep that night, he hugged his pillow, pretending it was Pete. In his dreams he saw Pete holding hands with Patrick, them kissing, and falling in love and Mikey woke to his face wet and salty from tears. ‘I may not be gay,’ Mikey thought, ‘But I definitely am in love with that boy. Oh the things you do to my heart, Pete Wentz.’


End file.
